Use the Force
by TormentingAllLemmings
Summary: Two years after 'Use Discretion', there are many mysteries to be explained. Jedi and would be Jedi are affected as echos spread throughout the universe.
1. Chapter 1

Summary: A sequel set two years after _Use Discretion_, and in between Episodes I and II, obviously. The encounter with the Force-wielding stranger has yet to be explained, and there are other forces at work in the lives of the Jedi and would-be Jedi of the universe.

Warning: Nothing.

Disclaimer: I own plot and OC's. Don't own anything else.

After a pathetically-long hiatus inspired by just plain block, college, and my boyfriend, I have returned. At least to post this. Hopefully, this is the beginning of at least updates a little more frequently. Here's hoping!

Please review if read. Comments, ideas, suggestions, and helpful criticism welcome. Flames will be ignored.

* * *

"I thought you said you knew her!" Reli exclaimed, running close behind Atton as they escaped from the cantina, which had exploded in a brawl moments earlier.

"I do! I did! I do!" he protested, and she only glared at him. Rounding a corner, the man pulled Reli after him, hiding her to his side as their pursuers shot past on stolen speeders, shouting to one another to find the pair of humans.

"I should have asked _how_ you knew her, then," she remarked dryly, catching her breath while Atton replaced his blaster back in the holster on his right thigh.

"Well…it's complicated," Atton hedged, and she groaned.

"Do tell. She waits five minutes, and then tries to blast us. Former lover, maybe?" she asked, peering at him. Not losing his composure for an instant – shameless as well when it came to some things – he only grinned back.

"Yep."

"No former lovers as contacts, then," she said, rolling her shoulders absently.

"Jealous?" he shot back easily, watching her. Having traveled together for almost two years, the two had formed an odd sort of partnership – a forced one, albeit – and Atton never gave up trying to start something.

"Hardly. I'd be more jealous if a Hutt wanted you for a bounty," Reli informed him dryly. Seeing his carefully-blank look, she stared at him before muttering something under her breath. "Don't tell me, I don't want to know," she said louder, for his benefit.

"I hear and obey," he replied, executing a mock bow and smirking.

"Shut up," she ordered calmly, peering around him to see into the main streets. "You think it's safe for us to come out yet?"

"With Kilyana knowing I'm on the moon? Nope," Atton told her, his tone one of boredom and hinting at years of experience doing this kind of thing. Reli tried hard not to think about how many times they had been forced to run from Atton's 'contacts', and grit her teeth.

"We might as well get to the ship," she said finally, running a hand through her hair. It had darkened to an almost mahogany hue, and was twisted into an intricate knot on the base of her neck to keep out of her way, several tendrils of hair framing her face. "If you think you can manage to pilot us off this rock."

"I'll do that, and see you two X-wings I can get into hyperspace without being caught," the man shot back, and Reli punched him lightly in the arm.

"Enough, you braggart. Let's get going," she repeated, blaster still in hand. She preferred not to use her shoto in public – and especially not in a place like this.

* * *

"Was that fun enough for you?" Atton asked, putting the ship on autopilot once they were in hyperspace, heading for Aaris II. Reli rested her elbows on the back of the co-pilot's seat and favored him with a bemused expression.

"Oh, quite enough fun," she replied, rolling her eyes as proof. The black hood of her robe was hanging down her back, her shoto safely tucked in her sleeve as always. Sitting down with a sigh, she checked the coordinates with concern. "The Aaris system?" she objected. "That's in the Kathol Sector, in the Outer Rim. What's there for us?"

"Well, you see–" Atton began, but she cut him off sharply.

"Oh, don't try to lecture me," she informed him, recognizing the tone. "You always seem to drag me into more trouble," she added as an afterthought. "Some bodyguard you are. I would have been better off at Naboo…" she murmured, looking out the shielded window of the cockpit with a frown.

"But there's something there you might be interested in," he said, as Reli went silent in her own thoughts. "There's a cave with Force-sensitive crystals there."

"And you happen to know where it is," Reli said skeptically, seeing where the pilot was going with that.

"Not exactly, but I know someone who can get us there," he shrugged, sitting back and crossing his arms behind his head. "And maybe there're some clues about this Jedi Master you're looking for there. It's worth a shot," he added defensively.

"No, it's a good idea…not that there's anything else to do," Reli mused. Atton's confusing – and sometimes complex – way of looking at things often resulted in disaster as a whole, but provided important information, or even exactly what they needed; all in all, the results usually outweighed the damage. "I'm just wondering what's going to be waiting for us there," she added, glancing cynically at him. "Seeing as everywhere we go, you seem to 'know' people."

"This guy's all right, I swear," he protested, raising his open palms to face her.

"I've heard that before."

* * *

The blue-green planet ended up being little more than mountainous swampland, and Reli shook her head in bemused disgust as the _Ebon Hawk_ was landed on a small landing pad in the midst of what seemed to be an abandoned settlement. Small huts were crowded together defensively against the rest of the planet, and the sun was barely able to penetrate the thick foliage above them. It reminded her in some ways of the place on Kashyyyk, the undergrowth the Wookies called the Shadowlands – only that was more hospitable.

"What a place," she remarked dryly, lifting the hem of her gown higher as they picked their way from the pad to the area that somehow resembled a street in the fact that it was lacking all the muck. Underneath her black robe that resembled a Jedi robe, she wore an equally-dark gown that ended just below her knees in the same style as Naboo, with loose sleeves and closely fitted around her torso. Silver designs edged the hem and bodice, her shoto was in her sleeves, and high black boots over gray legging she wore underneath the gown completed the outfit she had taken to wearing.

"Better than some," Atton replied, looking around with his hand on his blaster. It was a gesture Reli had grown accustomed to, and she hardly took notice of it anymore. It was when _each_ hand was on a blaster was when she bothered to worry.

"I'm sure it's better than some you've seen," she agreed, looking around as well. There were some signs of life around – the fact that the surrounding forest hadn't taken over the buildings yet was a clear example. Reaching out with the Force, Reli thought she picked up some life forms, but wasn't sure. She had trained intensely during her time with Atton, not only learning techniques to block the Force from her mind, but practicing skills she remembered from her days at the Temple.

"Yep," he nodded, striding down the street. Reli easily kept up with him, and prodded his shoulder.

"Are you sure you can trust this guy?" she asked, and he grinned.

"Not any more than I can trust anyone else," he admitted, and she groaned audibly.

"Oh, that's just _great_," she sighed.

"Hey, it's nothing I can't handle," he said patiently, and she glared at him. "Just relax. And don't take too much offense, either," he added suddenly, and Reli narrowed her eyes suspiciously.

"What do you mean?" she demanded, and he laughed nervously.

"You'll see."

"Atton!" a voice hollered, and they turned their attention to the approaching human male. He appeared to be in his early thirties to Reli, with black hair and blue eyes, tall stature, and dressed in clothes that suggested he did a lot of traveling and got very dirty in the process.

"Huron, nice to see you!" her bodyguard greeted the other enthusiastically, clapping the man on the back after shaking his hand. "Good of you to agree to this."

"Well, I've been meaning to go out there anyway, so – hello!" Huron said eagerly, noticing Reli, who was standing behind Atton with a dry expression. "And who might you be? Atton doesn't usually attract women of such class," he began, but grunted when Atton punched him in the side.

"Cut it out," he ordered, and she shook her head.

"My name is Reli," she introduced herself, retreating to her formal speech as she usually did with people she didn't trust. Atton noticed, but shrugged.

"She's the girl I'm the bodyguard for – I told you, remember?" he prodded. The other man had a blank look for a minute before nodding suddenly.

"_Oh_! She's the one?"

"Yes, I'm the one," Reli said in irritation, hating to be talked about as if she wasn't there. "Now, how far is the cave from this location?"

"About two days worth of hiking," Huron replied with a shrug eerily similar to Atton's. "Can't use swoops in this terrain – muck'll suck you down faster than anything else around."

"And how will we avoid that demise if we _walk_?" Reli asked testily, giving Atton the look he had grown to know meant he was in big trouble.

"I know paths around the bad areas," the man replied promptly, almost looking smug. "And we use the trees in some parts."

"It sounds more like an acrobatic session than a hike," she grumbled, but crossed her arms across her breasts in resignation. She wanted to get to those caves, and if this was the only way…she had been through worse, a little slime and tree-jumping wouldn't hurt her. "When are we going to leave?"

"Well, it's this planet's night cycle, and I don't recommend traveling when it's dark," Huron told them, looking around. "There's a few mercs here that won't mind some company for the night."

"So, this place is deserted?" Atton asked, falling into step next to the other man as Reli followed close behind.

"Sort of," Huron replied with another shrug. "Like I said, some mercs and adventurers come around to see what they can find, but no merchants or settlers. Rough crowd, but not too bad if you don't rile them."

"Sounds pleasant," Reli commented sarcastically, and rolled her eyes to look upwards as Atton backpedaled to drape an arm across her shoulders. Giving her a smirk he knew she hated so much, he gestured around.

"Hey, I can handle anyone around, so don't worry," he said with a wink, and grunted when she elbowed him sharply in the ribcage. "I was trying to reassure you!"

"If it's anything like what happened on Nar Shaddaa, I'm going to be saving _you_," she said primly, and the man 'hmphed' in her direction before sighing.

"Fine, fine, I get it. We'll stay on the ship for the night, Huron, and meet you there – the _ship_ – in the morning," he said, clarifying the location with a slight warning tone in his voice. The two men stared at each other for a long moment before Huron nodded in acceptance.

"All right, I'll make a racket to get you two outside," he agreed, striding off towards the rest of the buildings. Atton turned back to see Reli already heading for the ship, and jogged to catch up with her.

"Hey! You don't have to leave me," he said in a hurt tone.

"I don't like it here," she said shortly, and he noticed her hand was in her sleeve with the shoto – a sure sign she was ready for a fight. "Something's not right."

"What do you mean?"

"If there are Force crystals around here, Jedi would have been here at one time or another," she informed him. "But I don't sense any Jedi presence around, or any trace that they might have been here."

"So? Maybe they just don't know about this place yet," Atton shrugged, but she shook her head.

"Jedi have been venturing into the Outer Rim worlds to find crystals like these for centuries. Aaris isn't _that_ far from the Rim to be undiscovered until now," Reli pointed out.

"You think we should leave?" he asked, and got another shaking of her head as an answer.

"No – if there _are_ crystals here, it'd be best to know about them," she replied. "But don't let your guard down."

"Do I ever?" he asked jokingly, slinging an arm around her shoulders again. She had yet to decide whether the gesture was one of friendship or an attempt at romantic contact, but he rarely did it, and whenever he did, she was grateful for the contact.

* * *

Reli woke up late that night – or early morning, it was impossible to tell – in a cold sweat, gasping. Sitting up in the bunk, she shook her head in an effort to dislodge the vivid dream from her memory.

"What's the matter?" Atton demanded, skidding into the room with his blaster drawn, wearing nothing but his pants.

"Nothing, it's nothing," she said, wiping off her forehead with a sigh.

"Nothing? It must have been hell of nothing, because I heard you all the way from my bunk yelling something," he retorted, his sleeping area on the other side of the ship.

"It's _nothing_," she said testily, shaking her head again. "I'm fine. Just a bad dream, I guess." She paused, unsure what to say. The dream itself hadn't been a bad one – but it disturbed her nonetheless. "I keep getting the feeling that staying on this planet is an idea that's only getting worse," she remarked dryly, but Atton wasn't about to be sidetracked so easily. Taking a seat near her knees, he eyed her with the abrupt seriousness she never expected from him.

"What was it about? Kenobi again?" he guessed, and she nodded quickly in silence. "You know, we could just track him down if you need to see him that badly," he suggested lightly, but Reli shook her head.

"No, it's not that. I guess I'm just getting more sensitive in the Force," she replied stiffly. "And I've had contact with him, so it's only natural."

"I don't see you dreaming about his old Master, or the Queen, or me," Atton pointed out, a bit tense as well. She knew he didn't like Obi-Wan for several reasons, and it was a sore subject between them after all this time.

"I can't explain it," she said shortly, rolling over on her side so her back was towards Atton, and she stared at the wall for moment before closing her eyes stubbornly. "We should get more sleep before that friend of yours shows up." Reli waited for the weight on the bed to move and leave, but to her surprise it merely shifted and grew heavier. She looked over her shoulder just as Atton, who had stretched out next to her, crossed his arms behind his head and looked up at the ceiling.

"I'll stay here, just in case," he told her, his tone revealing it was clearly useless to argue with him. Sighing heavily to make a point, Reli shifted again to face the wall and closed her eyes, pulling the blanket up to her chin. Pointedly ignoring his presence, she soon fell asleep, leaving Atton alone with his own thoughts.

* * *

Yes, Obi-Wan will be making an appearance. Of course. Please review.


	2. Chapter 2

Summary; Warning; Disclaimer: See first chapter.

Here's finally an update. Been ridiculously busy, since classes have started, and I've just hit another block. Still haven't fixed my harddrive, so who knows when I'll update next. Hope you all enjoy!

* * *

"Yo! Atton, get your lazy ass out of bed already!" Huron shouted, standing outside the _Ebon Hawk_ with his hands on his hips. His raised voice penetrated even the thick hull of the ship, and Atton groaned in reply.

"He's right – you're lazy," Reli commented, and he spun around in the bed to see her standing over him, her arms crossed.

"What?" he asked blearily, blinking rapidly at her. "Huh?"

She rolled her eyes in exasperation, and shook her head. "Just get out of bed. I'll meet you outside with Huron," she told him as she strode from the cabin with a snort.

"Damn women…" he growled, trying to move to his feet and ending up rolling off the bed onto the floor. "Damn!"

* * *

"Morning," Huron greeted her with some propriety, but she only eyed him coolly before rolling her eyes.

"Good morning," she replied, looking around her to see the light of the sun barely noticible. "Early for a hike," she commented, but he only shrugged at her remark.

"Gotta get up early sometimes to get a good start," he told her. "Before the bad monsters try to eat us," he added calmly, but she blinked.

"What?"

"Nothing to worry about," he added quickly. "Long as you don't bother their terrain, we'll be fine."

"I somehow doubt that," she said testily, and tapped her foot impatiently as they waited for Atton. When the man in question arrived, heading down the ramp before engaging it's shields, he looked between the two with a grimace.

"Not a good start?"

* * *

Reli soon grew tired of the muck surrounding her, but didn't say a word as they hiked their way through the planet's natural defense against invaders. It was damp and dreary, yet there was a good thing – she didn't seen any signs of monsters.

What was bothering her was that she still wasn't sensing any presence of Jedi activity, and began to have serious doubts concerning the nature of their investigation. The two days had passed quickly as they swung down from one more tree onto the soggy ground below. They hadn't wasted energy talking much, and Reli was too occupied with her thoughts to speak anyway.

"We're here," Huron informed them, and she looked at him in surprise.

"Where?" she asked, and he gesturing to a rocky outcropping protruding from a completely smooth cliff face.

"There," he told her, and brushed his hands off as making a decision. "This is where my involvement ends. I said I'd get you here, and I did."

"Hey, wait a minute!" Atton protested. "You're gonna leave us out in the middle of nowhere?" he demanded, glancing to Reli as if asking her to step in.

"We can find our way back, thanks," she interrupted calmly, her hands resting inside her sleeves. "And we can make it up there easily, thank you," she added, her gaze flickering up the sheer wall they had to climb in order to reach their destination.

"Well, if that's settled then, I'll be seeing you two around soon enough, I guess," Huron informed them, and promptly disappeared into the brush.

"What was that?" Atton demanded, turning to Reli. "We can't get up there!"

"Of course we can," she replied with a patient sigh. "And we can make it back, too," she added quickly, sensing his next argument. "Just be quiet and let me concentrate."

Atton mumbled something under his breath as she narrowed her gaze, and he jumped when she suddenly shot from view, and he realized she was using Force speed once more, something she normally only did in battle.

"See?" she asked, and he tilted his head in amazement to find her peering down at him from a ledge. "It's easy. Now, I'll toss you something for you to climb up," she added, and disappeared momentarily. Before he could object, a vine was tossed down to him, and he tugged on it experimentally.

"You sure you're not gonna let go?" he called to her, and heard a laugh.

"I'm thinking about it. Just hurry your ass up," she ordered, and he sighed in irritation.

"Great," he muttered, and began the descent to the supposed cave.

* * *

"There doesn't seem to be much in here," Reli said thoughtfully, looking around as they strode deeper into the cavern. It had been narrow at the beginning, but as they wandered further, they were relieved to find that it widened considerably, and Reli felt like she was in a cave on Dantooine.

"There's shit," Atton muttered, kicking at rock in aggravation.

"What did you think was going to be here?" she asked, turning a sharp gaze on him.

"Those Force crystal whachamacallits," he shot back, crossing his arms stubbornly. "We came all this way for nothing."

"I'm not sensing anything, but that doesn't mean there isn't anything here," she told him calmly, turning back to her pacing. "I still don't sense any Jedi presence here, though – I'm strong enough I should be able to manage that. Unless they hid it to protect this place from intruders," she mused, the various possibilities turning over in her mind as quickly as she could think them up.

"I'm still not seeing anything," Atton hinted, as they continued heading deeper. "And I don't feel like getting lost, either."

"We've gone in a straight line – and there's only one tunnel. We're not going to get lost," she replied in amusement.

"Fine. Laugh if you want," he huffed, and then shook a finger at her warningly. "But don't say I didn't warn you. I've got a bad feeling about this."

"You and your feelings…" Reli murmured, trying to concentrate. She took Atton's instincts seriously, but something suddenly seemed to be calling her, pulling her deeper into the cave. Her companion followed with some muttering, but keeping a hand on his blaster. He didn't put it past Huron to lead them into a trap, and was reluctant to admit that to Reli – although he had a feeling she wouldn't be surprised anyway.

* * *

"Are we going anywhere at all?" he demanded after a while. "I've had it up to my eyeballs with all this wandering in silence!," the man complained.

"Would you be quiet?" Reli shot back, glancing impatiently at him over her shoulder. "I think I'm sensing something, but I'm trying to locate it."

"Locate it? How hard can that be? It's a _straight line_," he emphasized, and stopped abruptly before walking into Reli. She had suddenly stopped, and he looked down at her curiously. "What?"

"It's close," she told him shortly, before resuming her quick walk. He sighed and matched her pace easily, hand still on his blaster. Atton was hardly expecting anything other than more rock around the next turn, and his jaw promptly hit the floor as a result when he saw what was in front of them.

"Mother of…" he began, staring blankly ahead. A huge cavern of Force crystals surrounded them, of all shapes, sizes, and colors, and the power emanating from them almost overwhelmed Reli's limited Force sense.

"It's beautiful," she murmured, running her hand over one gingerly. Seeing something out of the corner of her, she whirled around, shoto in hand instantly, and silver clashed with blue as sparks flew.

"Master!" boy called, coming out from behind a formation, his eyes wide. Reli glanced over at the boy, and her own eyes widened as she recognized the boy – and her opponent.

"Ob-Obi-Wan?" she managed weakly, her throat dry. His blue eyes met hers in shock, and his lightsaber deactivated with the typical hum. Her own flashed before disappearing, and she returned it to her sleeve in mute amazement.

"What are you doing here?" he finally asked, his question lacking any force. His hair was still shorn and matched Anakin's, save for the braid, which the boy had and Master lacked.

"Looking for this," she replied, gesturing weakly to the crystals surrounding them. "And a Jedi Master," she admitted after a long moment, sensing he was waiting for the confession.

"A Master? Why didn't you just go to Coruscant?" Obi-Wan asked in confusion, gesturing for his Padawan to take a seat somewhere. The boy obeyed after some hesitation, while Atton hovered near Reli's shoulder.

"I did. He wasn't there," she told him.

"Which one?"

"The one who blinded me when I was a handmaiden," she said shortly. Obi-Wan stared at her, and then shook his head.

"What? What makes you think that was anything more than a Sith – what the Council decided?" he demanded, and she shifted into a defensive stance, not liking questioning.

"I couldn't find anything about any Sith," she informed him. "So I thought maybe something was happening in the Order. Maybe it was a rogue Master, or a Master turned Sith – but it was a Master. I know that much," she snapped, crossing her arms. "What are _you_ doing here?"

"Training my Padawan," the newly-appointed Master admitted. "I found out about this cave in the archives on Coruscant. How did you find it?"

"A guess," Reli said wryly, not going to admit anything else. "And the attack?"

"I couldn't tell who you were," he said, sounding embarrassed. Reli's eyes narrowed, a look Atton knew all too well, and the bodyguard took a step back.

"I see," she replied, her voice suddenly icy. "Well, I didn't find what I was looking for, so I'll come back when we won't disturb your training." With that, she turned on her heel and began to stride back down the tunnel, Atton close behind her. She was almost gone from sight when the Jedi couldn't help himself.

"Wait!" Obi-Wan called, jogging towards them. The companions turned, Atton wearing a sour look on his face, and Reli's completely empty. "I…well…do you think you could help Anakin with training?" he asked sheepishly. "You know stances from handmaiden training I don't have. It might be helpful."

Reli glanced over at the boy, who was obviously curious and eager to find out more, and thought the idea over for a few silent minutes before nodding.

"All right. I don't see why not, security on the _Ebon Hawk_ is so tight if Huron tries anything, he'll be blasted to bits," she said with satisfaction, and Atton grimaced at the thought of the man doing something that stupid.

"I get to learn how you all fought on Naboo?" Anakin asked eagerly, unable to contain himself any longer. He ran up to the adults and looked around impatiently, and a frown crossed Reli's face before she could help herself.

"_Don't be silly, he's just a child,"_ she assured herself, trying to shake the feeling she had gotten away from her. Willing the chills away, she nodded at the boy and slid the shoto into her hand.

"This is a shoto," she began, crouching down to let him inspect it more closely.

* * *

"I think you need a break, Anakin," Obi-Wan commented as the sky grew dark, observing the weariness in the combatants' stances. The group had moved outside when Reli had decided to show Anakin several attack motions, and a small clearing provided some clearing from any potential weather and animals.

"But, Master!" the boy argued, but a raised eyebrow from the Jedi silenced any further protests. Mumbling to himself, Anakin hooked his lightsaber to his belt and stalked over to the small fire Atton had started, crossing his arms over his chest.

"Is he always so willful?" Reli asked quietly, lowering herself to the ground between the two men. Not a wise choice, in her opinion, but the waves she sensed from Anakin were beginning to wear her down.

"Yes," he admitted, shaking his head. "I can't seem to rid him of such an unhealthy emotion. Not to mention very unlike a potential Jedi as well."

"Only potential?" she repeated in surprise. "I sensed quite a lot of power in the Force from Anakin. He's strong."

"Strength alone does not make a Jedi," Obi-Wan replied shortly, still not reconciled to his appointment of training Anakin by Qui-Gon, and the agreement of the Council afterward. He agreed with the Council, the boy was too old, but the only thing he could do now was his best.

"A little testy, aren't we?" Atton remarked with a grin. "I thought Jedi were supposed to be emotionless tools for the Force," he added sarcastically, and winced when Reli elbowed him sharply in the ribs.

"Would you stop it for one night?" she demanded, having heard enough of Atton's opinion of Jedi and the Force in general to last her a lifetime.

"I see you're the same, Atton," Obi-Wan commented, remembering the only time he had actually spoken to the man.

"And you too," the other man agreed reluctantly. _"Including your interest in her,"_ he added to himself, but not even going to say it out-loud.

"I think I need to meditate," Reli interrupted, getting to her feet. "_Alone_," she added acidly, as Atton got up to follow her. Waiting until he sat back down, she stalked away from the camp, needing some time to recover from her shock.

"I didn't think you'd ever be that obedient," the Jedi said, a bit surprised. "I thought you two would be fighting even now."

"Who said we don't fight? We get along. We've been together two years now, remember?" Atton asked pointedly, and the other man acknowledged the blow with a nod.

* * *

"_Of all the things…"_ Reli thought to herself, sighing heavily as she tried to meditate. Having gone far away enough that she couldn't sense the two Force-users and Atton, let alone see the firelight, she shifted in her meditation pose and frowned.

"Ridiculous," she berated herself out loud. "You're a grown woman. You've been over this before, you know. Reality is harsh, so accept it and move on," she added in a slightly-softer tone.

Taking a deep breath, she closed her eyes again and settled a bit deeper into meditation. Willing herself to block all unwanted feelings and thoughts – and senses – Reli relaxed further as she sank into the Force, allowing her conscious to become one with the universe.

She was unable to remain like that for long, however, as she became aware of underbrush crunching beneath someone's footsteps.

"I told you to stay there, Atton," she said without opening her eyes, and felt rather than heard him crouch next to her.

"I know," he admitted. "I just wanted to make sure you were okay. Reli – I don't think staying here is a good idea," he said bluntly, crossing his arms and propping them on his knees.

"And why is that?" she asked pointedly, opening one eye to watch him suspiciously.

"Because there's too much with you and him," Atton told her stubbornly. "We don't need him – you don't need him. I thought you were going to move on with life, and now we run into him. It's stupid coincidence–"

"There is no coincidence, Atton, and you know that, even if you don't admit it," Reli said calmly, closing her eye again and sighing. "It was the Force. We were meant to meet them, for whatever reason. Perhaps they can help us. Jedi have resources we don't."

"We can get them," he insisted.

"Atton, what is – never mind," she interrupted herself, not wanting her question answered. "Whatever it is, we'll start heading back to the _Hawk_ tomorrow morning, all right? It's not a big deal if I decide to help train a Jedi, you know," she added testily.

"Just don't think he'll make you one," Atton warned her, standing back up and offering her his hand. Reli remained still for a moment, pondering his words, before chuckling.

"How naïve do you think I am?" she demanded cheerfully, allowing him to pull her to her feet. "I accepted the fact I'm no Jedi long ago."

"Then there's no reason for this, is there?" he replied just as cheerful, and winced when she elbowed him, the smile still on her face. He surveyed for a moment longer, afraid what she was going to do, and dropped to one knee when she cracked his shin before stalking away.


End file.
